ESTEVAN — The last few tickets remain available for the Estevan Humane Society’s first-ever ladies' night masquerade.
The event is slated for May 11 at the Estevan Exhibition Hall. The night will feature comedian/magician extraordinaire Matt Gore and DJ Ruck n Roll.
“Expect an evening filled with laughter, dancing and memories to last a lifetime. Eddie Webster's has created the most delectable appetizer spread that is sure to be a crowd pleaser,” the humane society wrote on its social media.
Estevan Humane Society board president Tayja Lakusta said while the event is called a masquerade, they want it to be inclusive as the main point is for guests to have fun and enjoy the night out.
“We want it to be inclusive to everyone, so it is set as come as you feel comfortable in. We fully expect people to be dressed up in dresses/masks and also people who will not be,” Lakusta said.
She noted that organizing a first event of its kind takes a lot of effort, but they felt that after doing some upgrades at the shelter, they had to have another fundraiser to help with the expenses.
“This winter … we put in another furnace to better regulate our large dog room, so we are doing something to help cover those costs on top of our general day-to-day expenses,” Lakusta explained.
The event is coming just three months after another big Whiskers and Wine Gala Fundraiser, and shortly before other popular events such as Dr. Howard Memorial Dog Jog and the duck derby.
“We're not getting rid of anything. It was an addition,” Lakusta said. “We wanted to do a ladies' night, and it just the way scheduling worked. … We planned around Mother's Day weekend: ladies' night, Mother's Day; go out, enjoy yourself with friends and the next day, you get to be pampered by your kids and family hopefully. Make it a whole weekend for you to enjoy yourself.”
As of April 25, the humane society was about 80 per cent sold out, with a few dozen tickets remaining at the shelter, Soul Hideout or via an online order through Lakusta (text to 306-421-5970) or their Facebook page. Tickets are $65, or $500 for a table.
Lakusta said the shelter was doing well with the number of animals in their care, but with spring, they start seeing kittens coming in as well as a litter of puppies, so there will be more animals up for adoption soon.
“We're easing into spring and making sure we're able to help when full spring happens with all the animal needs,” Lakusta said.
The humane society is also sending their supervisor to the Humane Canada Summit in Halifax in May to “be engrossed in all things animal welfare”, Lakusta said.
“We want to expand our staff knowledge and allow them to immerse themselves in that and really strive to improve our shelter and ways to get it better,” Lakusta said.
To help with the expenses, they received some grants and are also running a 50/50 raffle, in which a winner could take home up to $1,250. Tickets are available at the shelter, Soul Hideout or online through their Facebook page.
